Snapshots
by wispykitty
Summary: A collection of drabbles/ficlets about the Tales gang, from childhood through to adulthood. Everyone will be included, though there will be a heavy emphasis on Ace.
1. Beginnings (Ace)

**Title** Snapshots  
**Characters** All - with a heavy emphasis on Ace (because he's my favourite!)  
**Warning** Some of these will likely deal with some mature situations, or have some strong language in them  
**Author Notes** These will be ranging all over the time-line: some will be from character's childhood prior to the show, while others will deal with them as adults. There may also be some OC's of mine popping up here and there. A note will always be made. On that note - my Ace has always had absentee parents, at least when he gets old enough to be able to take care of himself. As a younger child his parents always expected perfection - hence he became a self-obsessed brat. ;)

* * *

"Now remember what I told you, try and keep your eyes up, don't look at the ball."

"I know!" The little cream-haired six year old struggled in his father's grip, too excited about his first actual real game to spare any time for last minute advice.

"Look where you're going to shoot before you kick."

"I know!" He looked up into his father's eyes. They weren't that much higher than his own, since the older male was kneeling on the ground in front of him.

"And most importantly…"

"Have fun?" Ace smiled broadly up at his father, his little hands squeezing his father's arms.

"Be better than everyone else." The expression on the man's face was serious, his eyes boring down into his child's. In just a moment though the expression softened and a smile tugged at his lips as he pulled his little boy closer into his arms. "And have fun." He kissed the top of Ace's head, then let him go and watched as he ran out to the field, hopping around excitedly.

Those last words had as deep an impact with Ace as his father had intended. He may have appeared too excited to listen, but he spent the whole game with his head up, paying as much attention to what he was doing as a six year old could. He indeed did end up being better than everyone else in that first game, his hunger for dominance on the field being instilled at such a young age. But he did have fun. For now at least, while he was a child, he had fun.


	2. Red (Ace, Teddy)

**Title** Red  
**Character** Ace, Teddy  
**Notes** Ace is 16, and the captain of the high school soccer team. Coach Leaf Moore is an OC of mine.

* * *

The first time he'd been fouled in the penalty area and it hadn't been called, Ace had waved it off, not bothering to make a deal out of it. It hadn't been a really harsh hit anyway.

The second time he'd been fouled in the penalty area and it hadn't been called, Ace had looked back at the official, clearly confused as to why the man had ignored the second hit. It hadn't been nasty either, but still illegal.

By the third time it happened, Ace was getting angry. This third time had been so obvious! He'd already delivered the ball by the time the defender slid into him - the other boy hadn't even masked his intention by appearing to remotely put his foot anywhere near the ball. Instead he'd buried his cleats into Ace's calves. It had hurt.

At the half-time break he'd complained to Coach Moore, asking him to please do something about the crappy officiating. The coach had sympathized with him and had spoken to the official, but he'd been told to back off and let him do his job. So when the teams resumed play and Ace was fouled for a fourth time without anything being done, the midfielder erupted, unable to contain his anger anymore. He approached the official, not caring that play hadn't been stopped. "Are you fucking blind? That's the fourth time you should have awarded us a penalty!"

The official glanced at him, an annoyed look on his face. "Shut up and get back to the game." The warning was issued, but Ace wasn't about to heed it.

"Not until you actually start officiating this thing properly!" He wasn't about to back down this time. He was sore and frustrated, angry about having to deal with this all season.

The whistle blew from the official to indicate a stoppage in play. He reached into his pocket, withdrawing a yellow card. "I told you to shut your mouth and unless you want out of the game, I suggest you do just that and back off." He held it up, signalling that he was calling the captain for his comments.

Usually Ace was pretty calm on the field but today he wasn't able to keep his cool. "Are you fucking crazy?! You're doing a shit job of officiating and you're giving me a fucking card for it?!"

The older man smiled then, reaching for his pocket again. "Temper, temper, kid. Go and cool off in the shower." He pulled out the red, indicating that he was throwing Ace out of the game for misconduct.

Before he had a chance to react he felt someone behind him, grabbing his arms and pulling him away. It was Teddy, yelling at him for reacting the way he had and not backing down. Usually this was the other way around, with Ace calming down his problematic forward when problems arose. Ace shrugged Teddy's arm off, storming off the field, glaring daggers at anyone who looked his way, including Coach Moore. He retreated into the locker room, sitting on the bench and stewing in anger. The first card he'd ever received, in his life, and it had been undeserved.


	3. Sunrise (Ace)

**Title** Sunrise  
**Character** Ace  
**Notes** Ace is 16 in this; as always (for me) his parents aren't around that much.

* * *

Even though Ace set his alarm clock each night before going to sleep, he never needed it to wake him up. He was up before the sun every morning, sitting on his balcony sipping a glass of orange juice and watching it rise on the horizon. He liked watching the sun rise; probably because he knew most people were still in bed. Even though he felt lonely a lot of the time, he really did enjoy being alone. Too many people made too many assumptions about him and after a while, it got tiring.

He was sitting on his balcony now, glass in hand, eyes on the rising sun. It was quite bright this morning, as though it wanted to let everyone know that the day was going to be very warm. He was ready for his morning run, waiting until the sun was completely over the edge of the horizon before setting out. He didn't much enjoy the mornings when the sun wasn't so bright, finding that it often set the mood for the day. Bright mornings meant better days.

He finished his orange juice and laid the glass on the table. He stood up and looked down at the street below, far below his apartment on the 18th floor of the high rise. There were a few people here and there, a few cars on the street. But it was mostly empty, as it would be for the next forty minutes. By the time he'd get back from his run, the activity on the street would have picked up. Sometimes he just felt like staying inside all day, going back to bed and sleeping in like a normal kid his age did. None of his friends were up early enough to see the sunrise, unless they had to go somewhere. Even then, none of them wanted to stop and watch it. Not the way he did.

Sometimes he envied them. Everything seemed so simple for a normal kid his age. What worries did his friends have, after all? School? Typical stupid teenage drama? Protective parents who wouldn't let them do what they wanted? If only he could exchange his worries for theirs, things wouldn't be so rough. He wouldn't wake up every morning before the sunrise and run to push his worries out of his head. He'd wake up late and his mother would yell at him that his breakfast was getting cold, that he'd be late for class if he didn't get a move on.

Instead he woke up before the sun and ran for an hour and a half. Then he came home and made his own breakfast. Sometimes, if his parents were actually home, he'd make them breakfast too. They weren't the greatest parents in the world, but he loved them anyway and clung to them madly whenever they were there. His mother often joked that he was more of a parent than she was.

But sometimes one of them (or both, if he was lucky) would wake up early too and watch the sunrise with him. They'd sit on his balcony and watch the sun together. If it was his mother, she'd hold his hand and tell him how amazing he is, how she's so happy he's turning into such a perfect person. He'd squeeze her hand and tell her it was all genetics. She'd laugh and look at the sun again. Then she'd stand up and pull him up next to her and they'd watch as the sun rose up into the sky and she'd tell him that he was her sun and watching him rise up was more special than the sun they were watching now. His father wasn't quite as affectionate with his words, but the sentiment was there all the same.

So when they weren't around in the morning, he sat and watched the sun on his own. Maybe they were sitting up and watching it as well, wherever they were, and thinking about him. Or maybe they stayed in bed until it was already up because watching it rise made them feel guilty that they weren't around to watch his ascent as much as they should have been. He didn't know what the case was and he never asked.


	4. Smell (Ace, Starlight)

**Title** Smell  
**Characters** Ace & Starlight  
**Notes** The kids are 13 in this, and never did end up dating.

* * *

Ace was already sitting by the pond when Starlight arrived, notebook and pen in hand, textbook open before him on the ground. He watched as she made her way over to where he was sitting, smiling at her when she reached him and sat down.

"Well at least it's a nice day out, huh? Hopefully we'll be able to find everything." She dropped her bag on the ground and sat down beside him, a bright smile on her face.

"Yeah, it is kind of sad to be spending the day doing homework though." He smiled back at her and watched as she fished her things out of her bag.

"Well, we can take breaks every now and then I guess." She winked at him, surprising herself. She always acted so flirty around him; he had to know she was crushing on him.

He grinned. "That's so surprising coming from you." He winked back at her. Though he had tried to deny it for some time, his friends were right. Starlight totally had a crush on him. If she was willing to even joke about forgoing school work, then she obviously had a thing for him.

"I'm not that bad, really. Only at school." She laughed a little and set her things down. Her pen rolled off her book though and landed near his things. She leaned over to pick it up, quite close to him. She felt a little jittery.

When she leaned over to pick up her pen he was hit with the scent of raspberries. It smelled nice. "You bathe in raspberries this morning?" He teased her, hoping she wouldn't take it badly.

She sat back and blushed a little at his comment. Was it that strong? "No, it's just a body spray." There was no sense in getting embarrassed over his comment, she decided. He was probably just teasing her for fun. "I was hoping I might attract some butterflies." She grinned and looked back at him.

He laughed and looked out over the water. "It smells nice. And I'm sure it'll attract more than just butterflies."

She smiled at the comment, grateful he was looking away so he couldn't see her blushing again. Was he actually flirting back with her? She supposed only time would tell.


	5. Shapes (Ace, Teddy, Melody)

**Title** Shapes  
**Characters** Ace, Teddy, Melody  
**Notes** The kids are 11 in this one!

* * *

Ace and Teddy sat on the ground outside the aerobics studio, Shapes. The girls were inside, probably finishing their class now. The two eleven year olds were waiting for Patch and Starlight, since they were supposed to work on their soccer together.

"Why do girls take aerobics anyway? I bet it's stupid. We could probably do it." Teddy looked at Ace, determined expression on his face, as though daring Ace to disagree with him.

Ace huffed, a smile appearing on his lips. "Dare you to tell them that."

Teddy huffed back, looking more determined. "Maybe I will!"

Ace grinned, sitting back and waiting for the girls to come out. This ought to be entertaining.

As if on cue, Starlight, Patch, Sweetheart, Bon Bon, and Melody emerged from the building. Clover and Bright Eyes were both sick with the flu, so they hadn't gone to class with their friends. Upon seeing the girls Teddy jumped up, looking cocky. "About time! Finally finished with your stupid aerobics class?"

Melody looked at him, quite offended. "Stupid? I'd like to see you try aerobics, Teddy!"

This was apparently what Teddy had been hoping for. "You're on! I can beat you at anything. Everyone knows that boys are better than girls."

The girls responded in outrage, while Teddy goaded them back. Through it all, Ace stayed on the ground, still grinning. He'd probably get roped into doing aerobics too, but he didn't mind. It would be worth it to see Teddy try to keep up with the girls. He was willing to bet his mohawked friend wouldn't last five minutes with the high paced workout. But he wasn't about to tell Teddy that.


	6. Fire (AceStar, TeddySweet)

**Title** Fire  
**Characters** Ace/Starlight, Teddy/Sweetheart  
**Notes** The kids are 14.

* * *

The heat around the fire was nearly stifling in the summer night. Still they added more wood to it, watching as the flames licked upwards. They'd probably roast marshmallows later, maybe hotdogs too. Right now they just watched it flicker.

Ace leaned his head over toward Starlight's shoulder, kissing it softly. She looked at him and smiled, leaning her head close to his and kissing his cheek.

"You guys aren't gonna start making out or anything, are you?" Interruption from across the fire, followed by a yelp. "Ow! Sweetheart that hurt!"

"Teddy, fires are supposed to be romantic! Maybe you should stop watching Ace and Starlight and start kissing me!" Sweetheart's voice was firm but still amused.

"Can I?" Teddy looked eagerly at his girlfriend, as though he were about to pounce on her.

"Don't worry, Teddy. You totally ruined any plans we had to make out." Ace grinned across the fire at his friend.

"Yeah, way to ruin the mood. Why are you dating him, Sweetheart? He's too much work." Starlight grinned and winked at her friend. Sweetheart replied that she wasn't quite sure of that herself, which left Teddy pouting. When he tried to make it up to her with a kiss, Ace and Starlight looked back at each other and smiled. The heat from the fire was worth it, for moments like this.


	7. Lightning (Ace, Melody)

**Title** Lightning  
**Characters** Ace, Melody, Jing-A-Ling, Ting-A-Ling, Melody's mom  
**Notes** Ace and Melody are nearly 13 in this, while the twins are about 6. I don't remember if the show ever explicitly stated whether Melody's siblings were boys or girls, but the comics state that they are boys, so I'm going with boys. :)

* * *

"Every time a bolt of lightning hits, it's aliens sucking somebody's brain out." The two little ponies sat transfixed, staring straight ahead, mouths gaping wide open. In front of them sat an older boy, an evil smirk on his face. "It's true, wherever the lightning strikes is where the person whose brains got sucked out is standing. Their brains get replaced with alien brains."

"Ace! Stop it, you're scaring them." A girl close in age to the boy stopped in front of him, looking down on him with a disapproving glare. She turned to look at the twins huddled together on the floor. "Don't listen to whatever he tells you. He's only trying to scare you."

"Come on, Mel! Don't hide the truth from them; they deserve to know what's out there!"

"Ace I mean it! Stop it." Melody shot her boyfriend one more reproving glare before walking away back into the kitchen to finish preparing her siblings' bed time snack. This wasn't the first time Ace had concocted some ridiculous story to tell the kids, and while she did find it rather entertaining (and a little endearing that he was actually bonding with them) she just hoped it wouldn't cause any nightmares.

Ace looked back at the twins, leaning in close to them and beckoning them forward with a crooked finger. "Don't say anything, but your sister has an alien brain. That's why she doesn't want you to know."

Jing-A-Ling remained sitting where he was, but Ting-A-Ling sprang to his feet and raced into the kitchen. He all but threw himself into his mother's lap, hiding his face in her shoulder. After a few minutes of prying words, finally the boy looked up, his blue eyes fearful. Kneeling to reach his mother's ears, he whispered the explanation. "Melody has alien brains."

Hearing her daughter huff in annoyance, the young mother bit her lip to keep from laughing, patting the back of the younger twin's head before standing up. She walked into the living room and saw her other son, still sitting transfixed on the floor in front of her daughter's boyfriend. Her eyes locked onto Ace's. "Would you mind explaining alien brains?"

Jing-A-Ling looked up at her finally, realizing she was there. He burst forth into explanation, looking every bit as worried as his brother was was. "It's the lightning! Aliens suck out brains in the lightning!"

Ace sat on the floor, a grin on his face as he looked up and met her eyes. He loved tormenting the kids, even though it always got him in trouble with their mother. Luckily for him, though, she did like him, so she was never too upset.

"I see," the older woman said, a note of exasperation in her voice. "And are you going to stay the night and guard them in their sleep from aliens, I wonder?"

"Can he? Please mom?" Both twins called out, pleading eyes sweeping between their mother and their sister's boyfriend.

"I think it's a great idea," Melody said, coming out of the kitchen with two bowls of strawberries. "What do you think, mom? If his parents say yes, which I'm sure they will, he can camp out in the twins room."

Ace looked between the two females, shocked when Melody's mom actually seemed to be serious about the idea.

"Do you want to call your parents, Ace, or should I?" She asked, a knowing grin on her face. She knew, just like her daughter knew, that his parents would only be too happy to offload him for a night. For once, though, that knowledge didn't really bother him so much, and he resigned himself to spending the night being harassed by Melody's twin brothers.

"Why don't you do it while I go build a fort in the twins' bedroom?" He replied, grinning when he saw the older woman frown before shaking her head. She smiled though before setting Ting-A-Ling down and heading for the phone.

Melody handed off the snacks to the boys before coming to stand beside her boyfriend. "Have fun tonight," she said sarcastically, before leaning forward to quickly kiss him on the cheek. Ace didn't really mind, though. It would be nice to have company for one night, even if his sleep wasn't going to be the best.


	8. Trigonometry (Patch, Brighteyes)

**Title** Trigonometry  
**Characters** Patch, Brighteyes  
**Notes** The girls are 15.

* * *

"No, Patch, you can't copy my homework."

"How do you always know?" Slinking into the seat beside her friend, Patch resigned herself to the knowledge that an hour of her time would be wasted away in detention after classes.

"Because you suck at trig. Need I really say anymore?" Patch scowled as Brighteyes grinned, waving her sheet of neatly printed trigonometry homework.

"Are you sure I can't copy? Not even this once?"

"Stop begging Patch. It's not very becoming." Snickering as she eyed her paper one last time, Brighteyes glanced at her friend once again before getting up to hand in her homework.

"You enjoy this, don't you? I bet you go to sleep at night and dream that I'm not going to do my homework, so you can laugh at me." Brighteyes got up from her chair, barely able to contain the grin threatening to break her composure. "Don't deny it."

"I wasn't going to, Patch."


End file.
